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. 2026 Jan;83(1):54-63.
doi: 10.3233/WOR-230700. Epub 2027 Aug 1.

Modeling passenger comfort in turboprop aircraft using objective measures

Yu Wolf Song  1 , Anna S Reichherzer  2   3 , Xinhe Yao  1 , Gerbera Vledder  1 , Britta Herbig  2 , Michael Bellmann  4 , Victor Norrefeldt  3 , Peter Vink  1 , Neil Mansfield  5
Affiliations

Modeling passenger comfort in turboprop aircraft using objective measures

Yu Wolf Song et al. Work. 2026 Jan.

Abstract

BackgroundA quantitative comfort model will aid in evaluating comfort levels of various target groups before the actual flight of an airplane. However, constructing the model is always a challenge due to the complexity of the phenomenon.ObjectivesIn this paper, we present quantitative comfort models to predict the (dis)comfort of passengers flying with turboprops based on objective measures.MethodsNinety-seven participants took part in two experiments conducted during real flights, during which forty of them had environmental and personal factors recorded using (self-developed) measurement tools. The collected data were analyzed to model the relations between objective measures and subjective feelings.ResultsTwo preliminary models based on gradient boosting regression were developed. The models were able to predict the changes in comfort and discomfort of individual passengers with an accuracy of 0.12±0.01 and 0.21±0.01 regarding normalized comfort and discomfort scores, respectively. Additionally, contributions of different factors were highlighted.ConclusionThe outcomes of the models show that we took a step forward in modeling the human comfort experience using objective measurements. Anthropometry (including age), seat positions, time duration, and row (noise) emerged as leading factors influencing the feeling of (dis)comfort in turboprop planes.

Keywords: Comfort; discomfort; model; turboprop.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThe authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Left: The ATR72-500 plane from Lubeck Air, Right: Participants on the way from the airport with Jacket.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
An example of the 20 measurement Jackets.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The distribution of anthropometric measurements of the 40 participants.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
The location of Jackets (worn by participants) in the plane for both morning and afternoon flights. The number “13” was not used in row numbers for this plane.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Cabin noise levels, measured in the aisle, courtesy of [13].
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
The importance of factors regarding (dis)comfort (left comfort, right discomfort, horizontal axes represent the amplitude of the contribution).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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